Blasting mechanism



I May 5, E9310 D. FERRELL ET AL BLASTING MECHANISM Filed June 23, 1928 T Ferrel! w drifzar Wfzk/zrzo Z Patented May 5, 1931 pa le of large heat liberation, or starting UNITED STATES PAT-aNroi-"rma pm rnnanm. AND ARTHUR museum, or -mms3um,' mnmois, inssmnone 'ro mm MINING ('JOTISIIPAIN'Y,01 'GIE'IQAGIO, ILLmoIs, a conromrron or rumors amen-ire Application filed 1m n This invention relates to blasting car tridges, and particularly to new and useful means purely mechanical in operation for detonating, igniting, or starting a detonatcap, igniting a chemical compound easuch chemical reaction as will result in a large heat liberation, whereby "a body of fluid in the compressed and liquid state sur- 10 rounding the heating element contained in the cartridge, is heated and at the same time agitated to such an extent that a pressure rise occurs in the com ressed fluid sufiicient to rupture a wall of t erigid container.

This invention relates particularly to 'a modification of the invention set forth in our co-pending'application, Serial No. 169,441, filed February 19, 1927, entitled Bl'astin cartridges, in which carbon dioxide is pre' erably employed, confined in ajrigid container of seamless drawn steel having an end wall or disk capable of being ruptured at a predetermined pressure, loss thanthe bursting strength 0 the container itself. The compressible fluid is gaseous at ordinary temperatures and pressures and is introduced into the container under such temperature that the fluid is liquid throughout its volume. The means by which this is accomplished is fully disclosed in the co-pendi ng application referred to and therefore will not be described in detail here. v v V In practicing the invention it is essential that the quantity of fluid in liquid sta'tej' placed in the container be under pressure.

less thanthe bursting strength 'of the wall or disk which is ruptured under discharge. The

wall or disk is designed to rupture at a predetermined pressure, and it is there ore necessary, when discharge is to be eflected, that the compressed fluid or blasting medium be caused to exert greater pressure by sup-;. plying artificial heat thereto accompanied by excessive agitation. The heating and agitation should be so rapid that the pressure rise of the fluid medium, the rupturing of the weaker end wall or disk, the escape of the gasified fluid from the rigid container into the drill hole in the coal or. other body to be broken down, as well as the breaking 1m. Serial. No. games.

downof the coal or other body, are all ac- I complished in a. comparatively instantaneous time interval. For the purpose of the above sequence of events means are provided .for supcfilym'g suflicient heat to the compressed me heat accompanied by violent" agitation is imparted directly to the blasting medium and its pressure thereby raised to the de- "a metallic conductor in its midst suitably con 'nected to terminals for the passage of an elec- I tric current. In the latter form, the conductor is vol'at-ilize'd andforcibly disseminated throughout the-body of the chemical compound and in this manner behaves as anordinary cap detonator, in that heat suflicient to start the chemical reaction'is derived from the volatile metallic conductor. It is is also possible to utilize ordinary black gunpowder suitably confined in a receptacle carrying a relatively small metallic conductor through out its volume, the conductor being suitably attached to terminals on the rigid container. By selecting the conductor small enough it is possible to set ofi the powder charge by the use of a weak-current at very low voltage the like.

The above methods are found to be quite successful, but in some instances-it has been found desirable to provide a means whereby the cartridge may be discharged by a purely from a source which is contained WltlllIl the cartridge so that the re uisit'e such as can be gotten from dry batteries or mechanical means with results substantially similar to the results produced by an electric current. d

Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide a cartridge of the above described type adapted to be dis: 1

charged by purely mechanical means which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and efiicient in operation.

It is also an object to provide the necessary structural details for producing a car tridge of this type, such as means surrounding the concussion rod at its point of introduction into the interior of the casing for preventing lossof fluid and reduction in pressure, and heating element and detonating cap, to-

ther with a valved inlet through which t e blasting medium is introduced.

It is'a further object of this invention to provide an elon ated rod extending. from the blastingcartrid throughout the length of the drill hole an therebeyond to some remote location from which an operatormay safely mani ulate it, and to further provide means on t e rod which will prevent accidental movement of the rod such as might efiect discharge, which means will assure safety but will permit the rod to move and V the cartridge to be set off when the rod is. struck by the operator.

These and other objects are accomplished by mean'sof the arrangement disclosed on the accompanying sheet of drawings,in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cartridge constructed in accordance with this invention' Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional elevation of the left-hand end of the cartridge ,7 Showrr in Figure 1;-

I Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in vertical .Qcross section of a portion of the mine 'wall 'and drill hole, showing the cartridge in place tridge havin ready for blastin and the operating rod ex tendlng beyond t e mine wall in a position to be manipulated by the operator.

The vanous novel features of the inven tion will'be a parent from the following descri tion an out in the appended claims.

By referring to the drawing it will be noted that the present disclosure only shows one end of the cartridge in detail, but, inasmuch as the present invention relates to a modified form of heating element and dis: chargin means for cartridges of the type disclose in our co-pending application, only those features which are essential to the understanding of the present invention are herein disclosed. For the other'features, reference is made to the other application.

It will be further noted that the present invention is illustrated as a plied to a cara rigid cylin rical casing 10, the cap m'em ers Hand 12 on opposite ends thereof. The cap member 12 is provided with radial openings 13 on its periphery providing for the discharge of the cartridge in a manner described in the co-pendin'g 'appli-' cation. The rigid casing is provided with 'a rigid wall 14 preferably integral throughout, having a threaded bore 15 centrally disalso means for holding the sleeve member 31.

will be particularly pointed posed therein and the inlet passa 16 positioned to one side of the center. ated in the openin 15 is the sleeve 17' threaded as shown, an having the inwardly projected end '18 forming amounting for the perforated tube 19 which houses the heating element 20.

Positioned in the sleeve is the elongated.

rod 21 having its inner end 22 terminating at a point slightly s aced from the detonating ca 23' at the en of the heating element 20. e interior diameter of the sleeve 17 is enlarged as at 24 and threaded as at 25 for receiving the packing gland which closely fits therod 21 and by inward movement compresses the packing material 27 to effect a gas-tight seal around the rod, but permits slight longitudinal movement of the rod for the purpose of discharging the cap. The 1nlet passage ,16 is enlarged as at 28 and screwthreaded so as to accommodate the stem 29 which has the inlet passage 30 in alignment with the passage 16 in the wall. The outer end of the'stem is conical to provide a knife edge and is threaded to receive the valve The sleeve member is provided with screw-threads 32 on its inner surface for accommodating the valve 33, having a soft plug 54 at its inner end for engagement with the knife edge of the stem. The valve, of course, is adapted to take a key for manipulation on its outer end in the same manner as that shown in the co-pending application referred to. For filling the cartridge, itis obvious that a filling pipe may be attached to the inlet openin 34 and the valve 33 turned off of the kni e edge seat, at'which time fluid under pressure may be introduced through the passage 3016. When the cartridge'is' filled, it is merely necessary to turn the valve 33 on to its seat and to remove the nozzle from its pressure fit against the opening 34.

The endof the cylindrical casing ad'acent the wall 14 is provided with a shoul er 35 threaded as, at 36 to accommodate the casing or cap 11. The cap 11, at its outer end, has

- an opening '37 therein through which the rod exten'ds. The rod 21 adjacent to portion where it passes through the opening 37 is screw-threaded as at 38 and is rovided with a nut 39 engaging the end of t e casing.

The purpose of this nut is to normally limit inward movement of the rod so as to the co-pending application, or the charge may consist of black powder. It is preferable, but not necessary, to provide the ordinary detonating cap 23 set in the end of a length of cordeau fuse 40, consisting of diluted T. N. T., enclosed in an envelope usually of lead or paper, the fuse setting off the chemical charge of black powder or some of the well known mixtures. In practice it would not be necessary to have the fuse in the presence of black powder since the cap will set this off alone, but where the compound is not sensitive to a cap like, for instance, aluminum chlorate mixture, the fuse is interposed.

It is also obvious that the cap may ,be replaced by a starter consisting of a suitable acid in a bottle or a suitable sparking device worked by friction.

From the above, it will be readily appreciated that the means herein proposed for discharging the cartridge are purely mechanical, that is, the initial impulse which starts the liberation of heat from the material in the heating cartridge, regardless ofwhether the material is black powder or metallic powders and oxidizing agents mixed in proper proportions, is derived from the push or movement on a rod, for example, the rod extending from the heating cartridge through a suitably tight gland in the wall of the rigid container, and further extending through the t'amping which holds the shell or container in the drill hole in a coal or other body which is to be broken down. This metallic rod or element further extends beyond the face of the coal or other body and is provided with vrrieans'by which it is possible to actuate it in'a longitudinal direction and cause a blow to be struck upon a detonating cap, for example, which in turn ignites the heating charge supplying the heat necessary to increase the pressure of the blasting medium to such an extent that the weaker wall or disk is ruptured. The actuation of the metallic rod to effect these means may be done by remote control so that the mine personnel is in no danger from flying coal or other material;

It is also contemplated that instead of extending the rod 21 entirely beyond the outside of the drill hole to be struck by the operator, a mechanical device of suitable construction such as a trigger held spring mounted in the housing 11 may be provided, which mechanism may be tripped by means of a wire or other pulling element extending out of the drill hole to a remote location. Any form of construction is contemplated in this use, it merely being necessary to provide a short construction rod positioned to be struck by a mechanically moved hammer or weight. In the operation of such a device the mechanical discharging means will be cooked or set prior to the insertion of the cartridge in the drill hole. t

We claim:

1. A cartridge of the character described, comprising a casing and a movable discharging concussion rod extendlng into sald casing and releasable means on said movable 1 rod for holding said rod against accidental displacement said means being responsive to a predetermined force on said rod to permit actuating movement of the same.

2. A cartridge of the character described, comprising a casing and a movable discharging concussion rod extending into said casing, a releasable nut on saidrod in contact with a portion of said casing to prevent accidental displacement of said rod.

3. A cartridge of the character described, comprising a casing adapted to contain a blasting medium under pressure, and having a rigid wall, a sleeve threaded through said wall, a heating element attached to the inner end of said sleeve, and a concussion rod positioned through said sleeve having its inner end adjacent a cap for said heating element.

4. In a blastingcartridge, a casing having an end wall with an aperture therethrough, a concussion rod extending through said aperture, a cap for the casing, said cap having an aperture through which said rod extends, and means on said rod adapted to'coact with said cap to prevent operative move ment of the rod. 7

5. In a, blasting cartridge, a casing having an end wall with an aperture therethrough, a concussion rod extending through said aperture, a cap for the casing, said cap having an aperture through which said rod extends and means on said rod adapted to co-act with said cap to prevent movement of the rod in response to subnormal impact thereon, said means being operative to permit movement of said rod in response to a normal impact.

6. A cartridge of the character described, comprising a rigid casing having an apertured end wall, a sleeve threaded through said aperture an igniting device supported by said sleeve within the casing, a reciprocable concussion rod extending through said sleeve and a packinggland in said sleeve surrounding the rod.

Signed at Duquoin, 111., this 16th day of June, 1928.

DENT FERRELL. ARTHUR W. HELMHOLTZ. 

